Mad Dogs & Englishmen [Deluxe Edition] (CD - 1970)

Ultradiscs are mastered from the original master tapes using Mobile Fidelity's proprietary mastering technique, then plated with 24 karat gold and housed in a stress-resistant lift-lock jewel box. Previously released as a 2-CD set.

Personnel: Joe Cocker (vocals); Leon Russell (guitar, piano); Don Preston (guitar, background vocals); Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet); Chris Stainton (piano, organ); Carl Radle (bass); Chuck Blackwell (drums, percussion); Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner (drums); Bobby Torres (congas); Sandy Konikoff (percussion); Rita Coolidge, Claudia Linnear, Daniel Moore, Donna Wiess, Pamela Polland, Matthew Moore, Donna Washburn, Nicole Barclay, Bobby Jones (background vocals).

Recorded live at The Fillmore East, New York, New York on March 27 & 28, 1970. Includes liner notes by John Mendelsohn.

Personnel: Joe Cocker (vocals); Don Preston (guitar); Carl Radle (bass instrument); Sanford Konikoff (percussion); Donna Weiss, Matthew Moore, Pamela Polland, Rita Coolidge, Daniel Moore, Bobby Jones , Claudia Lennear, Donna Washburn, Nickey Barclay (background vocals); Leon Russell (guitar, piano); Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet); Chris Stainton (piano, organ); Chuck Blackwell (drums, percussion); Jim Gordon , Jim Keltner (drums); Bobby Torres (congas).

Audio Mixer: Suha Gur.

Liner Note Author: John Mendelsohn.

Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (03/17/1970-04/17/1970); Fillmore East, New York, NY (03/17/1970-04/17/1970); Gold Star Studios (03/17/1970-04/17/1970); Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (03/17/1970-04/17/1970).

Illustrator: Ron Wolin.

Photographers: Jim McCrary; Cosmina Andee Cohen.

Arrangers: Leon Russell; Chris Stainton.

One of the first classic post-Woodstock albums, MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN was recorded at precisely the moment that Cocker and his bandleader Leon Russell found themselves, however briefly, at the epicenter of the rock & roll universe. The big hits here--the juiced-up version of Traffic's "Feelin' Alright," the Memphis soul revamp of the Box Tops "The Letter"--have been ubiquitous for years, and remain as potent as ever.

Some of the less familiar tracks are equally rewarding though, particularly the Cocker/Russell duet on Dylan's "Girl From the North Country" (with the composer in attendance), and the obscure early Ray Charles raver "Sticks and Stones." This one shot ensemble (including veteran British musicians and the cream of then current L.A. sessioneers) was a great band, however unwieldy (twenty-one members!) and we're lucky to have this document of its only tour.

One of the first classic post-Woodstock albums, MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN was recorded at precisely the moment that Cocker and his bandleader Leon Russell found themselves, however briefly, at the epicenter of the rock & roll universe. The big hits of this dynamic live set--the juiced-up version of Traffic's "Feelin' Alright," the Memphis soul revamp of the Box Tops "The Letter"--have been ubiquitous for years, and remain as potent as ever.

Some of the less familiar tracks are equally rewarding though, particularly the Cocker/Russell duet on Dylan's "Girl From the North Country" (with the composer in attendance), and the obscure early Ray Charles raver "Sticks and Stones." This one-shot ensemble (including veteran British musicians and the cream of then current L.A. sessioneers) was a great band, however unwieldy (21 members!) and we're lucky to have this document of its only tour.

Listening to this CD brings back a lot of memories. Mad Dogs & Englishmen was just about the most elaborate album that A&M Records had ever released, back in 1971, a double LP in a three-panel, fold-out, gatefold sleeve, with almost 80 minutes of music inside and a ton of photos, graphics, and annotation wrapping around it. A live recording done in tandem with a killer documentary film of the same U.S. tour, it was recorded at the Fillmore East, where the movie was a cross-country affair, and the two were, thus, completely separate entities -- also, as people couldn't "buy" the film in those days, the double LP has lingered longer in the memory, by virtue of its being on shelves, and also being taken off those shelves to be played. Unlike a lot of other "coffee table"-type rock releases of the era, such as Woodstock and The Concert for Bangladesh, people actually listened to Mad Dogs & Englishmen -- most of its content was exciting, and its sound, a veritable definition of big-band rock with three dozen players working behind the singer, was unique. The CD offers a seriously good sound, whether it's just Joe Cocker and a pianist and organist in the opening of "Bird on a Wire," or the entire band going full-tilt on "Cry Me a River"; the remastering was set at a high volume level and there was a decent amount of care taken to get the detail right, so you can appreciate the presence of the multiple drummers, and the legion of guitarists and singers, plus the multiple keyboard players. The lead guitar and solo piano on "Feelin' Alright," for example, come through, but so do the 34 other players and singers behind the lead. This record was also just as much a showcase for Leon Russell as it was for Joe Cocker, which A&M probably didn't mind a bit, as Russell was selling millions of records at the time. As is now known, and it's recounted in the new notes, the tour from which this album was drawn all but wiped out Joe Cocker -- on a psychic level -- because the music was presented on such a vast scale (and there is a moment in the movie where he mentions breaking up his former backing group, the Grease Band, with a hint of regret in his voice) and his own contribution was so muted by Russell's work as arranger and bandleader. He may well have been the "victim" of a "hijacking" of sorts, but the musical results, apart from the dubious "Give Peace a Chance," are difficult to argue about upon hearing this record anew, decades after the fact -- it's almost all bracing and beautiful. [In 2005 Mad Dogs & Englishmen was reissued in a two-CD deluxe edition with eight previously unreleased live performances inserted throughout the discs and four rare studio recordings tacked onto the end. The new live performances are longer and looser and Russell plays an even bigger role. They're excellent, as are the stereo studio mixes of "The Letter" and "Space Captain," available for the first time here.] ~ Bruce Eder minimize